Energy Saving Tips

You've heard the usual drivel about raising your thermostat, lowering your thermostat, buying new Energy Star appliances, ad nauseam.  Here are some energy saving tips that will really help you out, and cost little or nothing at all. Read tips from members of our Sustainable Enterprises community, or, add your own advice.

Get a computer-controlled thermostat.  A good quality, computer controlled thermostat costs as little as $30 and allows you to custom tailor your climate control schedule.  If you are using a one-setting thermostat, you are wasting money and energy. Be sure your thermostat has at least four programmable temperature settings per day.

A decent thermostat will not only save you enough money in two months to pay for itself, your house will be more comfortable, too.   Thermostats are easy to install; most have only four, color-coded wires.  (Be sure to flip off the circuit breaker before making the switch.)  The whole process shouldn't take more than a half-hour. 

Don't run an empty refrigerator.  Every time you open the refrigerator or freezer door, precious cold air flows out, down toward the floor (heat rises, cold sinks), the unit must then turn on to chill the warm air which has taken its place.  Empty fridges and freezers lose more cold air and ergo, consume more energy than full ones (once completely chilled).  This is especially critical in a prolonged power outage.

If you don't eat enough to keep a full refrigerator, simply take used clear #1 plastic (PET)  juice or soda bottles, and fill them with clean water.  Fill your freezer first, then your refrigerator.  When you open the door, the cold air falls out, but the frozen and chilled bottles remain, easing your refrigerator's load and lowering your bill.  In a prolonged power outage, you can slowly transfer frozen bottles to the refrigerator to maintain food quality. Frozen bottles also work great in ice-chests. (PET bottles are incredibly strong and will withstand dozens of freeze-thaw cycles.  However, you must leave some free space at the top the bottle and don't twist the cap on tight, otherwise the bottle will burst when it freezes.)

Get a clothes line.  Drying is the one job in the world which, if not done, will do itself.  Clothes will dry, even in damp, cool weather.  Tumble dryers beat up your clothes while wasting energy, so your favorite togs do not last as long and your power bill skyrockets. Well-hung laundry often does not need ironing; the wrinkles are pulled out by gravity, offering additional energy savings.

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Practical power-saving tips from the Sustainable Enterprises community

• Install a drain heat recovery system to boost your shower-capacity by recycling a large fraction of your water heater's output energy (80-90%)now wasted down your drain.  Submitted by GFX Technology .
• Don't turn the TV on. Books are much more sustainable. Or go for a walk, or play cards with your family. Or a board game, or kick a ball around. Fly a kite, draw a picture, bathe the dog, bake a cake, practice yoga, learn to sew, build a chair, write a letter to a friend. Live!
• When you run the hot water, it takes some time to warm up. Catch this water in a clean gallon jug or other container. Use it to water plants, make coffee, etc. I save about 3 quarts each time I turn on the tap. Ok, it's not strictly energy conservation, but energy is expended to clean and deliver that water to my home. (Ed's note:  It takes enormous amounts of energy to run municipal water systems!)
• Besides compact fluorescent bulbs and energy efficient appliances, you can unplug all unused gadgets. Even it turned off these small electrical appliances (CD players, juicers, etc.) use energy. This practice is especially useful towards a smaller energy bill when you go on vacation.  Set water heater thermostat to 120 degrees. Twenty degrees less then the usual setting will not be noticed in the shower and will save money on your monthly bill.  Here's one for people like me who still own a standard stick-shift car. When going down hills I put in the clutch and coast. (this is a practice they used in America during WWII when most people had an "A" card and couldn't get enough gas) Don't laugh, I get between 40 and 45 miles per gallon in a 10-year old car.
• Computers use a lot of power -- reduce your energy use with a flat panel (LCD) monitor instead of a tube (CRT) monitor. Flat panels produce less heat, as well as drawing less power. When buying new, consider a laptop computer instead of a desktop machine for better energy efficiency - and besides, then you can use it anywhere.
• Wrap your ductwork with reflective foil insulation rather than fiberglass, use foil tape not DUCT tape, it's no longer allowed for duct work sealing, check for leaks and seal with foil tape. I use reflective foil insulation products from BTU Busters or Energy $avers of America. Get the best you can afford, also you can use reflective foil for 100's of ideas from lining dog houses to garage doors, camping out, under tents and sleeping bags, covers for windows, and boats, RV's and in cold climates behind radiators (yes people still use them), I lined my duct work with it, saved me many BTU's, I used it to cover my insulation in attic (perforated; it really works to raise r-Value, reflecting that heat or cold away is the key. I wrapped my hot water heater with reflective foil, works better after I got rid of that ugly fiberglass blanket, safer also won't burn or get water soaked, always remember foil works better with an air gap between the surface and foil. My wife made blankets out of foil for the windows, it sure helps keep the draft and cold out in winter and heat away during the summer. It works.